Four groups of people are dropped off in the Alaskan wilderness by bush pilot Paul Claus and attempt to acclimate to the harsh environment.
The groups attempt to survive in the Alaskan wilderness; one man who has never fired a gun sets out to hunt mountain goat; the other three groups fend off wildlife and race to gather food before the weather turns bad.
As food becomes an issue, Carolyn goes on a moose hunt and the Flower Lake group stalks squirrels, while the other groups try to find something to eat by whatever means necessary.
The teams struggle for food, water and warmth in winter's icy grip; Tim heads into the Wrangell Mountains to hunt mountain goats, and Jeff and Elizabeth search for moose on Icy Bay.
Tim, Allan and Jasmine attempt to hike from Flower Lake to Hawkins Glacier, and find out it's tougher than they thought.
A shortage of food becomes a critical issue up on Hawkins Glacier, for Greg and Bernice, and Tim, Allan and Jasmine must decide whether to hike back to Flower Lake or stay and try to find something to eat; on Icy Bay, Jeff and Elizabeth weigh the benefits of an early exit.
Everyone heads back to civilization: Greg and Bernice, and Tim, Allan and Jasmine battle subzero temperatures and dehydration as they try to get off the glacier; at Icy Bay, the Wise family hikes cross-country through the snow to rendezvous with the plane.
After returning from Alaska, the four groups have a reunion, hosted by Les Stroud.
Nine ordinary people put their wilderness skills and determination to the test when they are left in the wilds of Alaska with only a few supplies and basic survival training. Their mission is to find their way back to civilization by themselves, living off the land as they travel. But they soon learn what a difficult task they have set for themselves when they have problems getting enough food to feed them all.
Alaska has claimed one victim but the group must press on. On the second leg of the journey, the team is faced with many challenges including a desperate search for food, a brutal snowstorm and a grizzly bear sighting.
Starving and weak, the remaining six team members fight for survival by hunting the second largest rodent in North America.
The remaining volunteers try to escape the cold at one of the wilderness shelters on their route: a broken down bush plane. But hunger is their biggest problem, and has one of the team on the verge of collapse.
Needing a large supply of food desperately, the volunteers get some help from an expert in hunting for game. But this time it's not ground squirrels or ptarmigan they're after, but bear!
Starving and near the end of their endurance, the volunteers decide that they must try hunting for a bear a second time after having no luck in their first attempt.
The deepening winter cold and poor diet have hit all of the team hard, but Carolyn is struggling especially hard. So Trish, the group's last remaining experienced hunter, decides that it's up to her to make everything right so that they can all get to civilization together.
After struggling with hunger and cold of Alaska for nearly a month, the volunteers are at their lowest point- there's snow, freezing temperatures and they have no more food. Now is their last chance if they want to successfully make their way out of the wild.
